


In the Glittering Morning

by vmprsm



Series: Comes With the Territory [2]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fic Exchange, Fluff, Hybrid!Hux, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), all remaining systems shall bow to the first order, gender nonconforming Hux, im really indulgent i love pretty clothes, space fashion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 05:37:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7495941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vmprsm/pseuds/vmprsm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My half of a fic exchange with thethirstorder! Thank you dear for allowing me to bring my pretty boys into the spotlight again. I hope I delivered on your hopes.</p><p>Prompt:<br/>Kylo and Hux have to attend a formal event for diplomacy reasons. How do they behave? What do they wear? Do they have to grit their teeth and talk to people they hate, or do they stand in a corner and snark? (They can be trans and/or gender non-conforming!)</p><p>For anyone interested, this takes place AFTER part two of the series which....hasn't been written yet. Oops. Doesn't give too much away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Glittering Morning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thethirstorder (KaiserPhoenix)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaiserPhoenix/gifts).



“Don’t look at me like that.”

Ren snapped out of the glazed over stare he had fallen into while leaned in the doorway to the bathroom, blinking twice and shifting his eyes to his partner’s, last night’s eyeliner still smoky around his lids. “Like what?”

Hux rolled his eyes, turning back to lean across the countertop towards the mirror. The right wing was just a microscopically small amount thicker…

“Like you’re gorgeous?” Ren placed his hands gently on the black-clad hips, and Hux twitched just enough to mess up his wetliner. The left was now longer than the right. He growled in frustration, turning around to glare at Ren. 

“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to finish preparing in peace.”

“I mind.” Ren replied, looking unruffled for the ugly look he was receiving. He slid his hands up, and Hux had to resist the urge to shiver as they came to rest on either side of his pectorals. As Ren leaned in he shoved his hands between their faces, Ren’s kiss falling onto his palm.

“No! No, I just put this gloss on, you are not messing that up too. Your hands better be washed as well, this is leather.” He tried to lean back, but Ren had trapped him between himself and the counter. Ren’s eyes were bright with amusement, the dark grey of his old eyeliner making the gold flecks in them shine. He continued kissing Hux’s palm, and he curled it closed. Ren kissed his knuckles. 

“Oh stop that. This is ridiculous.”

“I just…” Ren pulled away, giving him a gentle look. “I didn’t think I’d get to see you like this again. And I didn’t get to properly appreciate you last time.” He squeezed Hux’s sides, feeling thin, sloping ribs underneath the expensive fabric.

Memories came unbidden to Hux of their first trip to Arkis. It had frankly been a nightmare, and Hux had been shot at much more than was healthy for a diplomatic endeavor, but it had resulted in...this. The thing with Ren that they didn’t put a label on, but was solid nonetheless. When Hux had been asked to go back, after they’d brought the ball of gems under true First Order control, he had hesitated but ultimately asked Ren along. 

They were here for only a few days, though days on Arkis were much longer than they had any right to be, celebrating the end of the planet’s use of slavery and the new council’s reign. The old council had been meticulously picked apart by psychological evaluations and Ren's mind probing, and only those who would stay loyal were kept, and others were replaced with new candidates. Hux, as the public head of the First Order and still (unfortunately) a native Arkian, was practically required to attend the gala held on the tiny planet. The gala was tonight, and the next two days would be solidifying trade routes and new mining protocols with the council. It was all fine, except Hux was back to looking like a piece of meat, figuratively, on display. His outfit was much less than conservative according to Order standards, but for Arkians he would appear at the height of style. Tiny clusters of oval-cut diamonds encrusted the shell of his ears and glittered prettily as he turned his head away from Ren’s far too open expression. 

“Yes, well…” he held back from clearing his throat, “nonetheless, we have a schedule to keep, and now I must redo my eyes. And you,” Ren received a poke to the chest, “need to get dressed properly.” He scowled lightly at Ren’s current idea of clothes: his usual black too-tight pants and a flowing dark grey shirt of some flowing material. It had been a gift from Hux, special ordered. Ren wore it when they were alone.

“Only if you undress me later.” 

Hux scoffed, but committed Ren’s playful look to memory. Since their return to the Finalizer they’d been busy, and while they had most sleep cycles together and were friendlier outside each other’s quarters, a certain level of stoicism was still held in most situations. Their encounters were often ones of convenience, rather than anything planned. It seemed that here, Ren felt he could let loose. It loosened something in Hux too, and his shoulders sagged slightly.

“Alright.”

-

Ren had been handsy during the cab ride despite Hux repeatedly slapping them away, and so as they stepped out onto the docking platform Hux readjusted his robes to try to brush away his slight arousal. The silky black skirt fell in waves around his legs, a train falling behind him from the cape of sheer at his waist. This outfit, in earlier days, would cause Ren to call him girly, but Hux felt nothing of the sort. Clothes didn’t need gender, but they did need more coverage, at least on this planet. His sheer top, clasped at the shoulders with diamonds, only preserved his modesty with large angles of rhomboid leather that came in towards his centerline. The top layer of his skirt was also leather, with the layer of waving silk underneath. From his forearms fell more sheer, coming to cover the tops of his hands, held up by tight bands that matched his belt. Hux wasn’t very fond of mixing fabrics with such different textures, but it was a rampant style choice on Arkis, so he swallowed it down. 

He looked past the open double doors to the gigantic crowd inside, and reached backwards, taking Ren’s hand as he unfolded himself from the seat. He gave Ren a look that dared him to ask, and Ren gave him a little smile. Very rarely, Ren knew when to keep his mouth shut. They entered together, stoutly ignoring the glances that assaulted them. 

“Night Bright!” exclaimed Analia, weaving through the sea of bodies to greet them. She put her hand out, long lines of chain studded with tiny emeralds cascading from her ears, and Hux took it gratefully.

“Ma’am, night bright.” he replied. When the council evaluations had occurred, Analia had passed with flying colors. Apparently, after they had fled the planet, she had tried to get in contact with the Order, to assure their safety. Without her, it would have taken even longer for them to get off Lum. She didn’t exactly support the First Order, but she supported Hux’s ideas and his family, and the safety of her planet. She was one good person in a crowded city of selfish ones, and Hux had an innate desire to keep her installed. 

She smiled slyly at him, and looked to Ren. “Lord Ren, night bright.” She put out her hand. 

Ren looked at Hux, then at the hand, and looking vaguely uncomfortable he took it. He didn’t hold long, but it seemed to be enough for Analia, who smiled in earnest. 

“Well,” she said, running her hands under the chains to keep them from catching in her dress, “my mother is here tonight, if you’d like to meet her.” 

Hux really wanted to find a secluded corner and stand in it until he was called for the speech, however politeness and necessity dictated he mingle, foster goodwill after their last disastrous visit. “Of course.”

-

“Night Bright, all. If I haven’t yet made your acquaintance, I am General Brendol Aeden Hux of the First Order. Arkis, as the newest addition to the First Order collective and my homeworld, has many changes currently in motion and planned for the future. The Order is pleased and prepared to work with the Grand Council to expand the wealth and glory of Arkis, for all citizens.” 

Hux paused, looking over the crowd of several hundred, almost all of them Arkian. He noticed one pair, a man and a woman with more lines on their faces than their neighbors, the new council speakers for the liberation, resettlement, and reintegration of the previous slave caste. They gave him approving looks. A few patrons shuffled in clear discomfort. 

“Tonight is to celebrate the union between us, to forge new connections and strengthen past ones. The gem that is Nyx will be the center of this change, and we will shape a brighter galaxy together. That is all, enjoy this time, before the real work begins.”

He stepped away from the podium to polite applause. Not that he had expected a standing ovation. The new council members and their partners didn’t have to like him, they just had to be loyal to the workings of the Order. There was a lot of confusion still surrounding the events of their last night on Arkis, and he was sure that some of them held personal grudges as many high profile Arkians had died that night. Not that they would have the courage to do anything about it. Unlike most Arkians, Hux had a spine. And protection.

Said protection ghosted up behind him, settling a gentle hand to his waist to guide him towards the banquet table. He looked at Ren, appreciating the red gems scattered through his wild hair, which he continued to neglect to cut, briefly before asking, “What are you doing?”

Ren glanced down, and steered them to the end of the table. He let go, but his hand hovered, a matching gem glinting on his thumb. “I assumed, since we entered together,”

Hux held up a hand. “Alright, point. It’s fine.” Ren replaced his hand with conviction, and gave Hux a fond look.

“You really like this, don’t you.”

“This event? No. You, in that? Yes.”

“It’s a wonder you didn’t attack me last time.”

“I did, a little.”

Hux let out a small laugh under his breath. “True.” He could tell people were trying to listen in around them, ears cocked in their direction. They weren't loud, but such prolonged physical contact was bound to drag stares. 

“How long do we need to stay?” Kylo leaned in and muttered this in his ear, giving Hux full view of his long neck that led into collarbone just under the flare of his collar. He closed his eyes, to preserve what little control over his attraction he held. It wouldn’t do to lick your partner in public.

“A while longer. I have yet to talk to the new CEO of BioPlas.” He smirked, pleased to be the reason the old one was booted. “Then we must speak to Analia again, and make sure Judge Yeshin is settling in with the new anti-slavery bills. Then we can go.” 

Ren stayed leaned in, breath catching his ear in small puffs. “Eat something,” Hux murmured, “you’ll need the energy.” Then he pulled back, Ren’s hand slipping from his hip in surprise, and Hux disappeared into the crowd.

-

It took another three hours to finish all of his necessary conversations. He hadn’t exactly intended to run into his mother’s friends, but he had, and that had eaten a solid and excruciating forty-five minutes of his time. They had fawned over his ridiculous outfit, gushing over the subtle green stitching and how it complimented his hair. Then they had prattled on about his mother, what had been going on since the takeover (though they didn’t refer to it as such). Then they had asked about his life, at which point he evaded by being as vague as possible about his work with the Order, and begging a need to eat before turning tail. There were very few things Hux would run from, chattering women was one of them.

He returned to the spot he’d been in with Ren earlier, picking at the dwindling plate of finger sandwiches that had some pink paste inside that vaguely tasted like honeyed meat. He wasn’t really hungry, but his stomach was starting to threaten mutiny. Hux wished there were apples. Maybe their hotel, a different one from their last, on the outskirts of the city, would stock them. 

He was staring off, mind only half aware of the guests around him, when Analia sidled up. “Evening.” she said, although it was rapidly approaching the morning sleep cycle.  
“Evening,” he replied slowly, “though I believe I already said my goodbyes to you?” 

She laughed lightly, a tinkling sound that made it seem as if her earrings had come to life. “You did, but you have not yet left.”

“True,” he sighed, “though I seem to have misplaced my,” he struggled for the word, and gave up. Analia had a knowing smile.

“I spoke to him, while you were with Yeshin. He’s surprisingly shy.”

“Yes, his social skills leave something to be desired.” Hux picked at a piece of lint on his sleeve. Public shyness aside, once they had become attached it had become hard to shut Ren up when they were in private. 

“He is also quite taken with you.”

Hux looked up, “Did he say that?” It was one thing to be lightly physical in public, quite another to speak of their relationship. Words held a lot of power on Arkis, especially how you delivered them. Weakness was a death knell, even when revealed towards a sweetheart like Analia, though he believed she would never use it against them. 

“Oh no,” she replied, catching his drift easily. She shifted her weight to her other hip. “He kept looking at you over my shoulder, and when I asked how you had been he closed up a tad. He is in deep I fear.”

“Why do you fear it?”

“I am simply concerned if the tunnel he’s dug himself into is wide enough for two?”

Hux looked past her to see Ren making his way, looking as if his patience were running low. He’d managed to not have a tantrum (though those were few and far between now), left to his own devices almost the whole night. That deserved something, didn’t it? 

He looked back at Analia, who clearly knew he wanted to end the conversation and why if her expression was any indicator. “I believe it may be.” Was all he could say. “Morning bright, Analia. I will see you at the council meeting.”

“Morning Bright.” She turned around as he swept past her, their skirts brushing momentarily, and he felt her watching as he took Ren’s hand again and led them back out of the ballroom. 

-

“I thought I was supposed to be undressing you.”

Ren’s hands were at his shoulder clasps, and Hux batted him away. They were in an elevator for heavens sakes. 

“Impatient.” Ren replied, going for Hux’s belt next. Hux deftly whirled around him, slipping under his outstretched arm and grabbing his waist from behind. He didn’t have a chance of truly controlling Ren’s movements, but the way Ren stiffened worked well enough. The elevator dinged, and with a gentle shove he maneuvered them into their hotel room. They hadn’t bothered with two bedrooms this time, and besides the bathroom the other areas were one large room, separated visually by gauzy curtains of a dark blue. 

Hux glanced at the kitchen. Later. He’d much rather see the red of Ren’s heated body right now over a fruit. He steered them over to the bed, and pushed Ren into a turn that flopped him onto the surface in one smooth motion, breaking the clean line of the sheets like water. They rumpled around his heavy form, and as he sat up Hux stepped away. He put his hands to his own hips, cocked one to the side, and waited. Ren gave him a confused look.

“One of us is undressing the other, so pick. I had assumed it was decided earlier, but apparently not.”

Ren gave him a mostly pathetic puppy face, and Hux was a sad blink away from giving in. He shifted his eyes to over Ren’s head instead. “Well, if you can’t choose…” He took a step backwards as if to leave. 

“No!” Ren propelled himself partway off the bed, grabbing Hux by the wrists and pulling him forward. He halfway tripped over his shoes, which had heels that on some planets would be illegal, and ended up closer to Ren than he’d intended. A blush crept over his face as Ren reached around for his belt clasp again.

Ren subtly (as subtly as he could, rather) pulled Hux closer, and with a sigh he settled himself onto Ren’s lap, pulling up his skirts to redistribute the mass to fabric out of their faces. It was hard to look at Ren smiling, it was so...genuine. He’d never seen someone as expressive. His lap was his favorite spot for Hux, and despite his embarrassment Hux allowed it more often than he should. 

The belt came off, and the heavy, gem-encrusted front thunked to the cool floor. Ren looked him over, obviously searching for how to get the robes off, and Hux chuckled. “A little more complex than slacks.” he muttered, and gathered up his skirts again. “Undo my shoulders.”

Ren complied, and Hux pulled the mass over his head and let it drop unceremoniously to the floor. With his uniforms he was much more obsessive, but the robes were an affront to his senses, and looked just as overly expensive on the floor. 

“You look gorgeous without it too.” Ren commented, running his hands all over Hux’s bare skin. His legs and chest were newly shaved, and Ren seemed utterly fascinated. He didn’t keep up with it during normal times, but it was a nightmare to fit and sit comfortable in the tight, often less-than-opaque fabric with hairy limbs. He drew the line at his arms and pelvis, the hair on his arms was light enough and he kept the rest neatly trimmed. He’d shaved it once, and the itching as it grew back was enough to swear him off the practice. 

“Are you ever going to get bored with complimenting me?” Hux sighed, leaning back to allow Ren’s wandering hands more space. Ren tweaked a nipple and he twitched involuntarily.

“No.”

“Well put your mouth to another use then.” 

It wasn’t that Hux wasn’t appreciative of compliments, he just wasn’t sure how to manage those aimed at his physique rather than his mind. And Ren loved giving compliments, almost as much as he loved touching Hux every chance he got. A tongue dragged slowly over his nipple and he sighed softly, dropping his head back and deciding to enjoy the attention.

Ren dragged his hands over every exposed inch of him, almost reverently as if he were completing a ritual, continuing to mouth at Hux’s chest. Finally his hands settled just under Hux’s thighs, and he gently leaned back and rolled them, splaying Hux out on the midnight blue sheets. 

“You…” Hux licked his lips, a bit breathless from the attention, “aren’t done undressing me.” 

Ren used his grip to pull down Hux’s small undergarments. Hux hated them, but boxers wouldn’t exactly cut it in form-strangling Arkian robes. They were black, and the sides sat high over his hips and blessedly had no gems on them anywhere. Small favors. 

“I don’t want to,” Ren replied, utterly unabashed as he sat back on his legs and traced his eyes over Hux’s arms and face. He was still wearing the silly sleeves on his upper arms, and the burnished gold circlet on his brow. Ren had already kissed away the matte maroon color on his own lips all over Hux’s chest, it was high time then that Hux removed his own gloss, if only to shove down the embarrassment of being so inappropriately adorned for this activity. 

He reached his arms up and Ren sank down between them. Hux immediately curled his fingers in Ren’s too-long hair. It now draped earnestly over his shoulders, brushing the lowest part of his collarbones and needing to be braided up to stay under his helmet. It was wild and lovely and one of Hux’s favorite things about Ren. He suspected that was why Ren hadn’t cut it yet. He took a handful and tugged, not to cause pain, this time, but to simply put Ren’s face where he wanted it. 

Their mouths came together and Ren softly brushed their bodies together. Hux shivered at the cool fabric of his jacket as it whispered across his skin. He’d bought this outfit for Ren, with his own money as opposed to the Order’s. Ren had said he missed Hux in Arkian garb, but he would have to fight Hux for the title of most yearning. The dark man looked regal and still vaguely terrifying in the sharply cut layers, like the prince he technically was. He bit back a sigh when some of the gems in Ren’s hair settled their cold points around his collarbones. A metal band deftly hidden just behind his hairline held them in by thin dark chains, making them look woven in. 

Ren took his time, taking Hux apart inch by inch, kissing or licking everything he could reach, and some that he had to work for, until Hux was panting under him. Hux started plucking at the lapels of Ren’s jacket. “This. Off.”

Sitting back, Ren started undoing the hidden buttons. “Just this?”

Hux growled at him. No matter how aroused he was, he did not enjoy being toyed with.

Ren laughed, and stripped out of his clothes. He left them in a little heap next to Hux’s robes and underwear, unconcerned for their exorbitant pricetag. They could be cleaned later. 

-

“Kylo.”

“Yes?”

They lay tangled together, long since cooled off from their activities. Hux ached all over in the most glorious way, and in a few spots less so. The bands around his arms were leathery but still quite solid, and had dug in just enough to be painful. He would probably have large ovular bruises from the centerpiece of each. He didn’t much mind. He still wore his circlet, and Ren’s gems glittered on the pillow, bathed in the white light from outside the window. Otherwise they were blessedly bare. After dozing for a time, the sleep cycle was coming to an end, and they would have to get up again soon. Ren, having woken before Hux, had returned to dragging his fingertips up and down Hux’s side, his body pressed close against the smaller man’s back. Hux had woken slowly, having become far too used to Ren’s method of waking him. 

Hux hesitated. “What time is it.”

Ren turned from him briefly, tapping on the datapad on the nightstand. It wasn’t often that Hux spent more than a couple hours without looking at it. “Hour 5.”

“Alright.”

The laid in silence, and Ren began to run his fingers through Hux’s hair instead, avoiding the gold band but scraping his nails gently on his scalp. Of course, Ren was still just difficult enough that he couldn’t let anything drop. Having Hux had tempered him, but you couldn’t change his base nature. Hux had given himself away by calling him Kylo.

“What did you want to say?”

Hux held his breath for a moment, then let it out in a sigh. He shuffled around in Ren’s arms, coming to face him. Their legs retangled when he settled. Ren was nothing if not cuddly, and Hux allowed it. He allowed many things from Ren.

Hux looked into his eyes, as if searching for something. Hux’s eyes were very green at that moment, the innermost ring a pale blue. Ren’s ever-questing hand moved from his hair to his cheek, stroking a thumb under his eye. He was further smudging the liner that had slipped from his wetline in their passion, and seemed to enjoy the look. 

“I...am not sure.” Hux admitted. “There are things changing, Ren, quickly. Once a few more key planets are under our control, we will most likely be launching our major assault on what is left of the New Republic and the Resistance. If that goes according to plan,” he shrugged his free shoulder. He didn’t take any plan so large for granted anymore. The ghost of Starkiller still sat in his heart, now a year and a half dead. 

“If it goes to plan, we will have new tasks. Tasks you are...unsure of.” 

“How long will our objectives keep us aligned? We will likely have to pick a planet to center our operations, once the war is over I will be expected to settle there, rather than the Finalizer. And you will likely go galavanting across the galaxy with your Knights, doing whatever mystical nonsense.”

Ren’s face twisted slightly in distaste at Hux’s choice of words. He soon softened, knowing the jab was more out of Hux’s difficulty in speaking earnestly. He always fell back on mild insults when uncomfortable.  
Hux felt a pair of ghostly hands grip him about the ribs, holding him tight to Ren’s body as Ren cradled his head close. This was the closest thing to a hug they had ever shared, and Hux found it strangely comforting. 

“As long as I can, I will stay close. My Knights don’t need me for everything. My training is complete, Snoke and I now work under a different system. I will still defer to him, ultimately, but I have choices. And if for some reason I don’t,” he paused, tilting forward to rest his chin on Hux’s head, “I will fix it.” 

Hux allowed himself another minute in Ren’s arms, before pulling back. Ren let him go, Force hands dissipating. Rolling out of bed, Hux padded to the attached bathroom, and Ren heard the sound of the shower turning on. Steam quickly started to creep out of the open doorway, and Hux returned. 

Ren sat up, lounged like a jungle cat against the plush pillow. “If you need to pick a new planet for the Order’s political center, where will you choose?”

Hux looked thoughtful, standing rigidly tall and blushed pink from the warmth of the bathroom. “Actually, I was considering Arkis. Seems strangely appropriate.” He watched as Ren sat up further, a grin slowly sliding across his features. 

“I think so,” Ren agreed. He held his arms out to tempt Hux back into them.

“No,” Hux was stern, “We have three hours before the council meeting. Come get in the shower.” He turned sharply and disappeared through the doorway.

Ren dropped his arms, sighing dramatically as he pulled himself from the giant bed. “Dictator.”

A voice, smug and warm from the bathroom said “Maybe.”

**Author's Note:**

> Always open to new friends at vmprsm.tumblr.com
> 
> I do have a sketch of Hux's outfit, which you can find over there under my In the city of night tag. 
> 
> To link soon: thethirstorder's fic!!


End file.
